Beyond History and Dimensions
by ItsHardToFindAPenName
Summary: What if during the last fight with the Lancers, in order to summon his Supreme King form, Zarc didn't use Astrograph Sorcerer, but instead used another monster?
1. Chapter 1: Legendary Duelists

**Hello everyone! ItsHardToFindAPenName here!**

 **To be honest, I'm quite disappointed with the ending of Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V. It's not that the ending wasn't a decent one, but well, I still think with the writers they have, they could have made a happier ending for everyone during the course of the story, especially the Yu boys and the Bracelet Girls; they have suffered too much already. And I don't agree with the way they made Zarc into a victim who is "forced" by the audience to do violence and goes mad from it; that's just... wrong, in fact it makes him an even more horrible person in my eyes, as he only wants the fame without even caring about anything else, even what the spirits of his cards were thinking, which is basically a staple in every Yu-Gi-Oh! story in the franchise so far. So the other day I came across an excellent duel script made by Yugi1Noob on YouTube, and it gave me the idea for this small piece. This is just my idea of how the story could be better in my mind, so if anyone disagrees, please don't flame me. After all, everyone has the right to speak their own mind, right?**

 **Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V and the whole Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise don't belong to me; they belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Shueisha and... well, you know what I mean.** **The script for the duel belongs to Yugi1Noob on YouTube (/** **watch?v=QUMPJ3c2Fis)** **, with some changes I made during the last turn of the duel.** **The only thing I own is the way I write the story XD**

 **Note: All the character names in the story would be their Japanese names, but the cards would be with their names in Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Legendary Duelists**

The Original Dimension. The home dimension of Akaba Leo, Zarc, and Ray. The only dimension where the mastery of every Extra Deck Summoning technique is possible. And also, the root of the calamity which separated it into the Four Dimensions, and what Akaba Leo was trying to bring back together with his daughter Ray.

And unknown to a lot of people, the home of many legends.

* * *

"I activate the effect of Chronograph Sorcerer! I can tribute this card and banish Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon from my Deck and Extra Deck to summon myself from the Extra Deck!"

The eyes of the Lancers widened in fear when the giant shape of the dragon started appearing from the darkness.

"Chronograph Sorcerer, who governs history! With your abyssal power, compress space and time and overlay our desires! Controlling the Four Heavenly Dragons, the ultimate dragon who reigns in the Original Dimension! Become one with me, right now! Integration Summon! Supreme King Z-ARC!"

* * *

One by one, the Lancers were crushed under the brutal power of Supreme King Z-ARC. Even Akaba Reiji, the one famous for mastering every type of Extra Deck Summon including Pendulum Summon, could do nothing but leaving a few scratches on the Demon Duelist.

"Damn it! Isn't there anything else we can do?" Sawatari Shingo punched the ground where he was sitting in hopelessness.

"If only we could have woken up the soul of Yuya inside Zarc…" Shiun'in Sora glared at the dragon towering over them in both fear and awe. "But now, no one can stop him anymore… not like that…"

"I'm sorry, everyone…" Akaba Leo, the Professor, slumped to the ground in regret and pain. "If only I hadn't been selfish… If only I hadn't tried to merge the dimensions back together just to revive my daughter…"

Even Kurosaki Shun, the one who hated the Professor the most for destroying his home dimension, couldn't help pitying the bald old man who was crying silently upon seeing the destruction coming from the giant dragon.

"Oh well, regretting or not, there is nothing we can even do now," he said, looking at the elder Akaba. "We all lost, after all. Nothing can stop Zarc from destroying all the dimensions now. At least you still have the courtesy to feel regret about what you have done."

"It might even be worse."

Everyone turned to Leo, who had just said those heavy words. The Professor sighed heavily.

"Before, the first time when Zarc was split up into the four boys and the Original Dimension was separated, he used Astrograph Sorcerer, the embodiment of space, to fuse himself with the four dragons to become Supreme King Z-ARC. But now, he uses Chronograph Sorcerer, the embodiment of time…"

Reiji's eyes widened. "That means…"

Leo nodded grimly. "Yeah. The whole timeline itself might be compressed into a single point, meaning… the destruction of all reality."

Right on cue, space around them began to twist.

* * *

Professor Fudo Yusei was working on a new control program for his Duel Runner. This is a program which allows Duel Runners to harness the power of the new Momentum system he developed after defeating Z-ONE and saving Neo Domino City from destruction, leading the world to a completely new era of Dueling.

He sighed and stood up from his desk. Whenever he looked at the Stardust Dragon card lying on top of his deck, he couldn't help but fondly remember the days they were together in Team 5D's. Their mission had completed; even the Crimson Dragon birthmarks had left them, now they were free to follow their own dreams…

Suddenly…

 _What just happened? I felt a sudden pulse of energy appearing around the city… but what is it?_

Feeling something wrong, he put on his helmet, climbed on his Duel Runner and was going to go out to inspect when he felt space around him twisting.

* * *

Muto Yugi was sitting on his desk, thinking about the strategies he was going to use for the incoming tournament held by Kaiba Seto, together with his partner, the nameless Pharaoh who lost his memories and was looking for the way to get them back and pass on to the afterlife.

But screw that; right now, a children's card game was more important.

' _ **I think this one is a better choice, Yugi,'**_ Yami Yugi pointed at a card on the table, Archfiend of Gilfer. _**'Who knows when we will have to face something with too high an ATK point that we need to reduce its ATK in order to win?'**_

"Well, that's true, but…"

Then space around him started to twist violently.

"What's going on?!"

* * *

"Do you feel that, Yubel?"

' _ **Yeah. It feels like when we faced Darkness the last time… but… for some reason, it feels way more evil, more malicious… just like time itself is going to collapse.'**_

Then space around Yuki Judai and Yubel started twisting.

* * *

' _ **Yuma. I can feel something coming. Something bad.'**_

Tsukumo Yuma lifted his head in confusion. "What's wrong, Astral? I thought you are preparing for our final duel? What are you doing outside of the Emperor's Key?"

' _ **This is not the time to think about that,'**_ Astral answered with a serious voice. _**'What I felt… it feels like… a disturbance in the fabric of time itself…'**_

What he said was proven immediately to be true, because right after he finished his sentence, space started to twist around them.

"It seems we are going to have to fight together one last time, huh…"

* * *

When Yusei could open his eyes again, he saw himself falling.

He had appeared in a space of made of… emptiness. There was almost nothing, except for a few buildings floating around. There were people standing on them, and from afar, he could see the shape of a huge black dragon, which promptly disappeared from his view.

 _What was that…?_

A pair of phoenix wings made of pure red energy spread out from the side of his Duel Runner. After the showdown at the Arc Cradle, the upgrade Aporia had left for his Duel Runner was still intact. With his new pair of wings, Yusei soared through the empty space, rushing toward the direction he had just seen the dragon at.

* * *

"Now that you pest called the Lancers have been defeated…" Zarc, now back in his humanoid form, raised his hand to the sky, "…it's time for this universe, this reality… to be gone!"

The Lancers couldn't do anything but staring helplessly at Zarc, who was going to erase the universe from existence.

"I will not allow you to do that!"

The red and white Duel Runner flew in between Zarc and the Lancers, who were all so surprised they couldn't even move a muscle. Zarc's eyes narrowed.

"You are…"

"Who is this guy? Where did he come from?" Sawatari asked in confusion. But it seemed no one in the Lancer could answer his question.

Except for Akaba Leo. His eyes widened.

"That man… he… it couldn't be… he is Fudo Yusei! The legendary duelist who saved Neo Domino City from total destruction… but how can he still be alive and so young…?"

"He's from Neo Domino City?" Jack demanded. "But if he was so famous, why didn't I know about him?"

Leo shook his head. "He's from the Neo Domino City in the Original Dimension… but if this is really him, then we still have a chance! Maybe…"

At the other side, Zarc was laughing. "Now I remember… You are the one who was called the Star of Neo Domino City, the Savior of Light, Legendary Signer… but so what? You are nothing against a god like me!"

To demonstrate his words, he raised his hand again. Thunder crashed down in front of Yusei, destroying the building they were standing on, throwing everyone down the void.

"No!" Yusei yelled, flaring up the engine of his Duel Runner, but he knew he could not rescue everyone of them. But to his relief, the Lancers immediately summoned monsters from their Duel Disks to save themselves.

"See that, Fudo Yusei?" Zarc pointed at Yusei and laughed maniacally. "You are just an antique of the past; you are nothing against the power of Zarc!"

Yusei's hands squeezed the handlebars of his Duel Runner. Never before had he felt such rage.

"Zarc! I challenge you to a Duel! I am not going to allow you to do whatever you want!"

Zarc laughed again. "Oh? You challenging _me_ to a Duel? You have no chance, but if you insist…"

"How about you let us join that Duel also?"

Zarc, Yusei, and everyone turned toward the direction of the voice. Standing on top of another building afar were three other different human figures. And Yusei's eyes widened when he realized who they were.

"They are… Yugi-san and Judai-san! And… another guy I don't know," he deadpanned.

"Long time no see, Yusei-kun," Yugi smiled.

Judai pointed at Zarc. "You must be the one who did all of these things to this world! We are not going to let you destroy it any further!"

"Yeah!" Yuma pumped his fist. "I don't know who you are, but seeing things like this reminds me of the things we've just been through! I am not going to let it happen!"

Zarc laughed maniacally. "You must be all out of your mind, duel champions of the past… but I accept! I will crush you all like the cockroaches you are under my feet!"

He spread his wings and took to the sky, flying toward the building Yugi, Judai and Yuma were standing on. He landed on the rooftop with a loud "thud", cracking the floor.

The Duel Disks of the five Duelists snapped into action, and they yelled at the same time.

"DUEL!"


	2. Chapter 2: King of Games

**Chapter 2: King of Games**

"I'll go first!" Zarc declared. Pulling out two cards from his hand, he raised them up and slammed them on his Duel Disk. "With the Scale 0 Supreme King Gate Zero and the Scale 13 Supreme King Gate Infinity, I set the Pendulum Scales!"

"Pendulum Scales? What is that?" Judai blinked. Zarc laughed cruelly.

"Ah, right; how can you old antiques know about the power of Pendulum Summoning? How about you let me show you? Pendulum Summon! Gather at my side, my servants!"

From the hole of light on the sky, two blasts of light came down and struck the ground. When the light faded, two Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm appeared on the field in Attack Mode (ATK: 1800).

"Wait a minute," Yugi's voice rose, startled. "Did you just summon two monsters in one move?"

"Yes," Zarc smirked.

"Hey! That's against the rules, isn't it?" Yuma protested. Zarc cackled.

"Screw your old outdated rules; that's the power of Pendulum Summoning, which _I_ created! With the Pendulum Scales on the field, I can Special Summon any number of monsters from my hand as long as their Level is in between the Scale numbers!"

"What a dangerous ability," Yusei muttered. "No wonder why he calls himself god…"

"You are not the creator of Pendulum Summon!" Sawatari protested loudly. "It's Yuya who created it; you are just some wannabe jerkass who took his body together with his achievement!"

Zarc didn't bother answering. Instead, he blasted the Lancer with another red lightning bolt. Lucky for Sawatari, he managed to jump away right on time before he was obliterated.

"Since I'm feeling generous, and I don't want this duel to end so soon, I will set one card and end my turn!" Zarc slipped a card into the Spell/Trap Zone on his Duel Disk and declared.

"Now, show me what you can do, duel champions of the past!"

* * *

"Zarc is toying with them, just like he did to all of us," Sora mused when the Lancers arrived at a safe place on top of another building near the battlefield. Edo nodded.

"Yeah. And his opening move is just like what he used in our duel, too…"

Leo grunted. "But the result is not going to be the same. I already told you about Fudo Yusei, he is basically a legend already… but those other three are also not the normal duelists you usually see everyday. Tsukumo Yuma… he is the sole wielder of powerful Xyz monsters called the Numbers, and he was the one who stopped the calamity involving them which could have destroyed the universe. Judai Yuki… the most powerful duelist of Duel Academia in our dimension, and the one who defeated not only one, but _four_ different forces of evil who planned to destroy the world through the power of both light and darkness… And finally, Muto Yugi, the _original_ King of Games, with the soul of the nameless Pharaoh inside him, and the wielder of the three almighty Egyptian God cards… As long as they are here, we still have hope…"

The Lancers were all stunned from the reveal of Leo.

"Wow…" Even Reiji could only breathe out that single word.

* * *

"It's my turn!"

Yugi's turn started. Pulling out a Spell Card from his hand, he set it on his old Kaiba Corporation Duel Disk.

"I activate Pot of Greed! It allows me to draw 2 cards!"

Looking at the cards he drew, the King of Games smiled. "When I draw Watapon outside of my Draw Phase, I can Special Summon it to the field!"

The LIGHT-attribute cotton ball appeared on the field in a flash of light. Zarc laughed.

"Hah! What can you even do with that useless ball of cotton?"

Yugi smiled confidently. "There is no such thing as a useless card in my deck! From my hand, I activate Mystic Box! It will give you control of Watapon, but at the cost of destroying one of your monsters which I can choose! And I choose one of the Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm!"

From thin air, two boxes with question marks appeared and closed themselves on Watapon and a Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm. Swords flew over and skewered one of the boxes, and when it opened, the Darkwurm was only a bunch of mangled meat.

From the other box, Watapon popped out happily in Attack Mode.

"Now I activate Ancient Rules!" Yugi declared, activating another Spell Card. "It allows me to Special Summon one Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from my hand without having to Tribute anything! The monster I will summon is… Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician, the embodiment of the Great Priest Mahad, the most loyal servant of the nameless Pharaoh in his past, appeared in all his glory. He spun his staff around and pointed it at Zarc's face, who didn't even falter.

"Yugi-san's ace monster has appeared!" Judai cheered.

"And I still haven't used up my Normal Summon this turn! From my hand, I Normal Summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard in Attack Mode!"

The elf swordsman appeared on the field and swung his sword threateningly at Zarc's monster. Not wasting a second, Yugi declared.

"And now, Battle! Dark Magician, attack Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm! Dark Magic Attack!"

Upon the command, Dark Magician raised his staff. A sphere made of dark energy formed at the tip of the staff, and with a loud battle cry, the ultimate wizard sent it flying at the dragon. The sphere of magic hit the dragon dead on its chest, and it was destroyed with a painful screech and an explosion.

"All right!" Yuma cheered.

But Zarc still smirked. "Is that all you can do?"

To the four legendary duelists' surprise, Zarc's Life Point didn't even go down. Instead, it had just risen by 700. (Zarc's LP: 4700). Judai exclaimed in disbelief.

"How could that be? Your dragon was destroyed by Yugi-san's attack!"

"When Supreme King Gate Zero is Set in the Pendulum Scale, any damage I take when I control a Supreme King monster becomes 0!" Zarc cackled. "And with Supreme King Gate Infinity in the other Pendulum Scale, that damage will be added to my Life Point!"

"Just like in our duel…" Edo gritted his teeth. "If they don't find a way to destroy those Gates soon, his Life Point will just go up forever!"

But Yugi didn't seem to falter. Instead, he smiled.

"But now you don't have any Supreme King monster on your field, am I right?"

Zarc's eyes widened a bit when he realized that problem. "Oh sh…"

"Obnoxious Celtic Guard! Attack Watapon!"

The swordsman brandished his sword and slashed the cotton ball in half, ignoring the terrified squeak of the creature. It was destroyed, and Zarc's LP was reduced by 1200 (Zarc's LP: 3500). The explosion from the battle actually managed to send the Demon Duelist on his knees.

"Wow… he actually managed to damage Zarc in his very first turn!" Sora marveled. "What a duelist…"

On the battlefield, Zarc had managed to stand up. He sneered. "And then what? This kind of damage is nothing to me."

But Yugi was still calm. "Now I activate Dimensionhole! I will choose one monster on my field and remove it from play until your next Standby Phase!"

A hole appeared on the fabric of space behind Dark Magician and sucked the wizard inside. Sawatari stared at the scene in shock.

"What the hell did he do that for? He just banished his own monster!"

"Don't be hasty, Sawatari," Shun said, his eyes still didn't leave the duel. "He was named the King of Games; I doubt there is any redundant move in his play style."

Just like answering Sawatari's question, Yugi activated another Spell Card. "And now, I activate Monster Recovery! I will shuffle all monsters on my field and cards on my hand back to the deck and draw 5 cards!"

"Ergh… okay, I was thinking of doing that too," Sawatari bragged half-heartedly, and everyone else facepalmed.

"And I set two cards and end my turn," Yugi finished. He threw Zarc a look full of confidence and defiance.

"Very good!" Zarc cackled madly. "You have shown good struggle! But now it's time for me to show you my power!"

* * *

Reira opened her eyes and groaned.

Even with the power of Ray inside her, she couldn't do anything against Zarc. Even their last hope, the power of the four Bracelet cards, was predicted by the Demon Duelist and crushed before they could even activate.

There was nothing which could stop Zarc now…

"Reira, you are all right!"

The voice of Reiji brought her back to reality. She blinked, and realized that all the Lancers were standing around her, looking at her in relief.

"I'm sorry, everyone…" she said dejectedly. "I couldn't do anything to stop Zarc… even with the four En cards…"

"You already did everything you could, Reira," Leo reassured her. "Rest assured; there are other people who are fighting Zarc now."

Reira looked across Leo's shoulder in confusion. Then her eyes widened when she realized who were dueling Zarc.

"No way… Aren't they…" she stammered. The memories Ray had given her allowed her to know who they were.

"Yes," Leo nodded. "They are legendary duelists of the past, brought here when Zarc used his power to compress every timeline into one. We should put our hope on them… and believe they are going to win."

* * *

"My turn! Draw!"

"During your Standby Phase, Dark Magician will come back to the field thanks to the effect of Dimensionhole!"

From the wormhole on the fabric of space, Dark Magician returned to the field.

Zarc looked at the card he had just drawn and smirked. "Sorry, legendary duelists of the past, it seems the duel is over for you."

"How can you say that for sure when we still haven't done anything?" Yuma demanded.

But Zarc only grinned evilly at him. "Oh, I'm very sure, because the card I drew would be the key for me to summon my strongest monster, and it will mark the end of this duel."

From afar, the Lancer gasped. "No way! That card… Could it be…!"

"Yes!" Zarc laughed. "With the Scale 0 Supreme King Gate Zero and the Scale 13 Supreme King Gate Infinity, I Pendulum Summon! From my Extra Deck, my two Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm!"

"What?!" Yusei exclaimed. "But they are already destroyed! How could you…?!"

"Pendulum Monsters, when they are removed from the field, will go to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard, and as long as I have the necessary Scales, I can Pendulum Summon them back to the field as many times as I want!" Zarc bragged. "And from my hand, Astrograph Sorcerer!"

Leo gasped. "That is the Sorcerer Zarc used to fuse himself with the dragons during my timeline! Here it comes, the Supreme King…"

"That's right!" cackled Zarc. "And now, I activate the special ability of Astrograph Sorcerer!"

Four cards flew out from Zarc's Main Deck and Extra Deck and disappeared into the Banished Zone, at the same time Astrograph Sorcerer disappeared in a plume of purple smoke. Yugi's eyes narrowed.

"Those cards are…"

"Yes, they are Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon! Right now, their power will become one with me, and bring out the almighty God of Destruction!"

And the world started shaking when Zarc began his ominous summon chant.

"Astrograph Sorcerer, who governs space! With your abyssal power, overlay our desires! Controlling the Four Heavenly Dragons, the ultimate dragon who reigns in the Original Dimension! Become one with me, right now! Integration Summon! Supreme King Z-ARC!"

"Wh-What's happening?" Yuma exclaimed.

"Everyone clear out!" Judai screamed when shockwaves started to explode out of Zarc's body, which was now covered in a cloud of dark purple smoke. The cloud started expanding, larger and larger… until Supreme King Z-ARC appeared on the field in all of its glory. It roared, and a gale swept through the rooftop of the building, nearly throwing the three Duelists off their feet. Even Yusei, who was flying above on his Duel Runner, could feel the tremor spreading through the air.

"He fused himself with the monster!" Yuma said, pointing at Zarc, who was now standing… no, more like he fused his lower body with the head of the giant dragon.

"That's right!" Zarc boasted loudly. "I and the dragon of supreme power have become one! I am Pendulum, Xyz, Synchro, and Fusion! You lowlifes, tremble before my almighty power!"

"Heh," Yugi retorted. "But that means you are the monster yourself! Things like you, we have faced before! If we can remove you from the field, you will be gone together with it!"

"Oh, but you won't be able to do that," Zarc gave them a nasty grin. "As long as any of my techniques lay banished or in any Graveyards, I cannot leave the field!"

"WHAT?!"

The four legendary duelists could only gasp out in disbelief. Judai pointed at Zarc.

"That's just not fair! Making yourself an overpowered monster is one thing, but you also created a whole unfair mechanic just to screw with the rules to make yourself a god! Do you even have any shame of a duelist?"

"Shut your trap!" Zarc snarled. "When I have the power, I can do anything I want! Now, when I descend from the Extra Deck, all of my opponents' monsters are destroyed and you take damage equal to their combine attack! Disappear, Dark Magician!"

A beam of darkness blasted out of the giant dragon's mouth, aiming at Dark Magician.

"No! Dark Magician is going to be destroyed!" Crow exclaimed in horror. "And it's gonna be 2500 points of damage dealt directly to their Life Point!"

"Yugi-san!"

"Reverse card open! Black Illusion!" Yugi shouted, pushing the button on his Duel Disk. One of the cards he set at the previous turn snapped open on the field. "Until the end of this turn, Dark Magician cannot be destroyed by battle and is unaffected by your card effects! But you are allowed to draw one card in return!"

"What…!?"

Before the surprised eyes of Zarc, the beam of dark energy passed through Dark Magician's body harmlessly as if the spellcaster was made of darkness itself. The beam soared past Yugi and exploded behind him without doing any considerable damage.

"Good! He's safe!" Gongenzaka cheered.

"As expected from the King of Games himself!" Judai gave Yugi a thumb-up, and the King of Games smiled back at him.

"Tsk…" Zarc drew his card and scowled. "Very lucky, Muto Yugi. But you're hardly doing yourself any favours. During the turn I activated this ability, I cannot attack, so I will set the card I drew and end my turn!"

* * *

"What a duelist…" Kaito said in awe. "He actually managed to get through Zarc's turn without even taking any damage!"

"Yeah…" Jack also marveled. "And he didn't even have to use a monster from his Extra Deck! Only a Normal Monster…"

Reiji grimaced. "But that alone is no way enough to stop Zarc. If they can only play defensively like that…"

The Lancers looked back at the duel in worry.

* * *

 **Yeah, Reira was actually a girl. For some reason, I feel it to be very believable. As far as I remember, there is no moment in the whole series where Reiji or Himika outright confirmed Reira's gender after all; the Lancers and everyone else basically just guessed that she's a boy because of how she dressed and spoke. Therefore, I would refer to Reira as a girl in this story, as that's how she appeared to be during the last duel with Zarc in canon.**


	3. Chapter 3: Get Your Game On

**Chapter 3: Get Your Game On**

"It's my turn now!" Judai stepped up and thumped his chest. "I will show this so-called 'Supreme King' who he's up against! Draw!"

Adding the card he had just drawn to his hand, Judai started his move.

"I activate the Spell Card, Take Over 5!" He declared, slotting the aforementioned card into his Spell/Trap Zone. "With this card, I will send the top five cards of my deck to the Graveyard!"

He took five cards out from his deck, took a glance at them and smiled. His turn was starting just like he was thinking. He put the five cards into the Graveyard slot of his Duel Disk.

"Now, I Normal Summon Elemental HERO Prisma!"

The diamond-like HERO appeared on the field in a flash of light.

* * *

"Elemental HERO?" Kaito looked at Edo questioningly. "Are they like your Destiny HERO cards?"

Edo pondered. "Yes… and no. There was a time I also used these cards in my deck before I changed to a full Destiny HERO deck… but I can say for sure their potential in Fusion Summon far exceeds that of the Destiny HEROes."

* * *

"I activate the effect of Elemental HERO Prisma!" Judai declared, and took out a card from his Extra Deck. "Once per turn, I can choose a Fusion Monster in my Fusion Deck and send one of its Fusion Materials from my deck to my Graveyard; this turn, Prisma's name will become that of the sent Material! And the Fusion Monster I choose is Elemental HERO Electrum, and I will send Elemental HERO Clayman from my Deck to my Graveyard!"

As Judai finished, the body of Prisma started glowing. And in a flash of light, standing at where Prisma used to stand was the bulky shape of Clayman, who had just been sent to the Graveyard. Zarc scoffed.

"Then what? What is that pitiful monster going to do against me?"

Judai just smiled mischievously. "Oh, just be patient, will you? You said before that as long as there is a monster forming that dragon in all the Graveyards or removed from play, you cannot be removed from the field, didn't you? Then I will just return all of them back to your deck!"

Zarc's eyes widened. "No… you wouldn't dare…!"

Judai laughed. "I activate Miracle Fusion! This card allows me to perform a Fusion Summon of an Elemental HERO Fusion Monster by removing from play Materials on my field or in my Graveyard. And I will remove from play Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman and Bubbleman in my Graveyard to perform the Fusion Summon! Now, descend! Elemental HERO Electrum!"

The shapes of the four HEROes ascended to the sky and started merging together in the swirl of Polymerization. And in another flash of light, the golden muscular Level 10 HERO appeared in all of his glory.

"Electrum's effect activates! When he is Fusion Summoned, every monster removed from play is returned to the deck! Which means, all of your dragons are going back, and there won't be anything to protect you!"

To Zarc's horror, the four Dimension Dragons which had been banished rose up and flew back into his Deck and Extra Deck without him being able to do anything.

For the first time, Zarc's expression showed a hint of fear. His invincibility was robbed from him… so… easily…

He snarled in rage, and the air around the dragon rippled. "Don't screw with me! When you perform your Fusion Summon, I can return my two Darkwurm to my Extra Deck to perform a Fusion Summon myself!"

"What…!?"

"That's just like during my duel…" Reiji gritted his teeth. "He's going to summon _that_ dragon…!"

The two Darkwurm on Zarc's field were suddenly engulfed in a swirling purple vortex, which then erupted into a blinding violet flash.

"Dragons with gleaming fangs, become one and devour my enemy in a starving rage! Fusion Summon! Come, Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom!"

From the light, the corrupted plant dragon appeared with a deafening screech. Everyone winced when they felt the power radiating from it; it's horribly dark and evil.

"2800 ATK…" Yugi muttered in horror.

"That is still nothing against the power of my Elemental HEROes!" Judai boasted. "Now, I activate O – Oversoul from my hand! With this, I can revive an Elemental HERO monster back from my Graveyard! Return, Elemental HERO Neos!"

With a loud battle cry, Judai's ace monster appeared on the field in another flash of light.

"Now, game on! Electrum, attack Starving Venom! Fusionist Magistery!"

But Zarc only sneered. "You insolent! I activate Starving Venom's effect! By returning it to the Extra Deck, I will summon back the two Darkwurms and reduce the attack of all your Fusion Monsters to zero!"

Judai's eyes widened. "What?!"

To his horror, Starving Venom turned into a cloud of smoke, which engulfed Electrum and drained his strength before turning back into the two Darkwurms, one staying in Attack Mode and one in Defense Mode.

"Damn it!" Yuma cursed. "We're back to square one again!"

"Is that so?"

The air seemed to turn a few degrees colder when Zarc said those words.

"What do you mean?" Yusei demanded.

"You should thank your King of Games for giving me the chance to kill all of you with your own monster!" Zarc cackled. "Trap Card, Supreme King Dance, activate! Once per turn, I can choose a monster on your field and force it to attack me!"

The legendary duelists' eyes widened. "No! That means…"

Zarc laughed maniacally. "Yes! The monster I choose is… Elemental HERO Electrum!"

"No! If that attack connects, it will be 4000 damages for them, and they will be killed immediately!" Reira exclaimed; her eyes started tearing up.

But there was nothing they could do. Electrum's eyes had turned red, and he charged Supreme King Z-ARC like a mad man, unable to control himself.

"Now, die!" Zarc howled gleefully, and the dragon launched a blast of golden energy at the incoming HERO. A deafening explosion shook the floor.

"You see that?" the Demon Duelist cackled. "Even legendary duelists of the past have no chance against… me… what the…?!"

"Do you really think that I will let you do whatever you want?"

From inside the cloud of smoke, the voice of Yugi rose. And when the smoke cleared, Elemental HERO Electrum was still alive on the field, but… he was in Defense Mode.

"Trap Card, Zero Gravity," Yugi looked up at Zarc. "It forces every monster on the field to change their battle position. It means, it can stop Electrum's attack from landing, and will switch even you to Defense Mode!"

True to the words, Supreme King Z-ARC was changed to Defense, together with every monster on the heroes' field and one of the Darkwurms on Zarc's field. Zarc snarled in rage.

"You pest…"

The four historical duelists sighed in relief. Judai looked at Yugi.

"Sorry, Yugi-san… I screwed up over there…"

"Don't worry, Judai-kun," Yugi shook his head. "You did very well, actually. Now Zarc is not invincible anymore; we can finally take him down!"

"Right," the Fusion user smiled. "Then I set two cards and end my turn!"

* * *

"Be careful, you four!" Sawatari yelled to the four historical duelists. "That's not everything Zarc can do; he still has three more…"

"Shut up and stay away from our duel, you pesky bug!"

Sawatari's eyes widened when a beam of darkness shot out from the giant dragon toward him. He hastily scrambled away, and the beam tore apart the place where he had just been standing.

"You coward!" he yelled at Zarc. "If you are really that almighty, why are you scared of them knowing about your power?"

"You don't need to do that!"

Yusei's voice suddenly cut him short. The Lancer's eyes widened. "But…"

"Even if he uses cheap tricks to ensure victory for him, we are not going to stoop to his level just to defeat him," Judai answered for Yusei. "We have to teach him power is not the only thing that creates a Duelist; what's important is your skill, your passion on dueling, and the trust of your heart in your own cards!"

"Yes, that's right!" Yuma agreed. "That is something a coward so scared of losing he has to create unfair cards for himself just to be sure he will win in every duel, and someone who throws away his own cards just to have a way to protect himself, cannot understand!"

"YOOOOOOOOUUUUU… INSOLENT… BASTAAAAAAAAARDS!"

An explosion of energy suddenly emerged from Supreme King Z-ARC's body, which nearly swept Yuma, Yugi and Judai off their feet.

"You dare call me a coward?" Zarc snatched the top card of his deck and snarled in fury. "Then I will show you coward! I tribute my two Darkwurms to Special Summon Supreme King Dragon Odd-Eyes!"

With an earth-shaking roar, the dragon with dichromatic eyes appeared on Zarc's field. It snarled at the legendary duelists, and they shivered seeing the mouth full of dripping saliva of the dragon.

"That's… Yuya's dragon…" Crow clenched his fist.

"This is so wrong…" Sora mumbled. "A dragon of entertainment isn't supposed to look like that…"

"Battle! My servant dragon, attack Neos!"

The spiral blast of energy burst out of the smaller dragon's mouth, aiming at Elemental HERO Neos. But Judai had prepared for that.

"From my Graveyard, I activate the effect of the Necro Gardna I sent there with Take Over 5! By removing it from play, I negate your attack!"

At Judai's command, the form of Necro Gardna appeared in front of Neos, shielding him from the deadly attack. The shock coming from the collision, however, was still enough to send Judai backward a few steps.

"In that case, I will send Odd-Eyes back to the Extra Deck to Special Summon the two Darkwurms again!"

"He's tagging out again!" exclaimed Yuma.

"Not on my watch! I activate Skill Shock!" Judai responded immediately. "By tributing Prisma, I negate Odd-Eyes effect! And as Odd-Eyes' removal from the field is the cost for the effect to activate, it will leave the field nonetheless!"

"Good!" Yugi cheered. "Now he cannot summon back the Darkwurms! He won't be able to counter Yusei-kun's next turn!"

"You think so?" Zarc's mouth broke into a peculiarly nasty grin. "Then I will attack Neos myself!"

This time, the blast of golden energy finally managed to do what it was supposed to do. Neos was blasted violently into particles of light, and the force of the explosion threw Judai off the building.

"No!" Everyone, except for Zarc of course, shouted in horror at the same time.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Judai screamed as he fell down the wall into the swirling void below. Even if it wasn't solid ground, the force of the collision, _if_ there would be a collision, would definitely break every bone in his body. Dying like this was just too terrible… He had never wanted it…

Then suddenly he felt his body being jerked back by his collar. He looked up, and saw Yusei on his Duel Runner, who had just managed to save him from his impending demise.

"Are you all right, Judai-san?" the Riding Duelist asked in concern while trying to pull the falling boy onto his Duel Runner. Finally, with great effort, the ex-Academia student managed to settle himself at the back of Yusei's Duel Runner. The red motorcycle pulled up and soared back towards the battlefield.

"Jeez, Yusei…" the Fusion user gave the Riding Duelist a weak smile. "Next time just remind me to keep track of how many times you save my life, will you?"

"Good job, Yusei-kun!" Yugi called up from below. "Next turn is yours! We're counting on you!"

"Yes, thank you, Yugi-san!" Yusei answered.

"Uh, guys…"

The hesitating voice of Yuma pulled everyone back to the battlefield. And they gasped.

"No way…"

The two Darkwurms were once again back on the field.

"You think stopping my Odd-Eyes was enough to hinder me?" Zarc boasted loudly. "Whenever I destroy a monster by battle, they will return from the Extra Deck! And with my Pendulum Scales, I can get back my Odd-Eyes however many times I want! No matter what you do, you won't be able to stop me! AHAHAHAHAHA!" he finished with a maniacal laughter.

"Don't be so sure, Zarc!" Judai pointed at the Demon Duelist. "Next turn is that of our friend Yusei! The fun is just getting started!"

* * *

From deep inside Zarc's mind, the consciousness of the boy named Sakaki Yuya stirred.


	4. Chapter 4: The Power of Bonds

**Chapter 4: The Power of Bonds**

"My turn!"

Yusei drew, and grimaced. _This is not enough… I can't do anything with this hand…_

"Yusei! Use my card in the Graveyard!" Judai urged, and the Riding Duelist nodded.

"All right! I activate the effect of Take Over 5 in our Graveyard! In my Standby Phase, I can remove it from the Graveyard in order to draw one card!"

He drew. The card he got was Speed Warrior.

"Useless! With my power, whenever you add a card to your hand outside of your Draw Phase, it is destroyed!"

What Zarc had just declared stunned Yusei. "What…?!"

A bolt of red lightning came down from the sky and struck the card on Yusei's hand. Speed Warrior was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.

"I know all of your tricks, Fudo Yusei!" Zarc bragged. "Your hand wasn't a good one, so you depended on that last draw, hoping to get a playable card, didn't you? Now you lost even your last chance to fight back!"

But Yusei _smirked._

"On the contrary, that's actually what I hoped you would do."

Zarc's laughter froze. "What…?!"

"From my hand, I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Junk Synchron!" Yusei declared. "When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower monster from my Graveyard! Which is, the very same Speed Warrior you have just destroyed and sent to the Graveyard for me! Come, Speed Warrior!"

From a hole of light on the fabric of space, Speed Warrior dashed out.

"Tsk…"

"Furthermore, as I Special Summoned a monster, I can Special Summon Steam Synchron from my hand!"

The Tuner Monster looking like a locomotive appeared from another hole of light and joined the two other monsters on Yusei's field. Zarc's eyes narrowed.

"Two Tuner Monsters…"

"I'm tuning my Level 2 Speed Warrior with my Level 3 Junk Synchron!" Yusei chanted. "Gathering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shine upon!"

The two monsters jumped into the air. Junk Synchron turned into three green rings of energy, which lined up and allowed Speed Warrior to fly through, turning into a beam of light.

"Synchro Summon! Come, Junk Warrior!"

From the flash of light, one of Yusei's favourite Synchro Monsters, Junk Warrior, flew out. It punched the air, sending a blast of wind to the sky.

"No!" Gongenzaka exclaimed in horror. "If he uses Synchro Summoning, Zarc will just answer with that dragon he used to defeat us!"

As if answering Gongenzaka, Zarc cackled.

"You fool! When you used Synchro Summoning against me, you were already lost! I send my two Darkwurms back to my Extra Deck to Synchro Summon!"

Yusei's eyes widened. "What?! But Darkwurm isn't a Tuner!"

Zarc laughed. "When I'm on the field, I can Synchro Summon this servant of mine without a Tuner!"

"Another unfair monster… Just how low is this bastard going to stoop?" Yuma grumbled.

"Kin with wings of light, deceive enemies with your sharpened wings!" Zarc chanted. "Synchro Summon! Supreme King Dragon Clear Wing!"

Upon Zarc's chant, one of the Darkwurms turned into four green rings of energy, just like Yusei's Junk Synchron did, and lined up in a row. The other one flew into the row of rings and covered the field in a flash of light. Finally, from inside the light, the corrupted dragon with clear wings flew out with a loud roar, making everyone wince.

Looking at Yusei with a smug smirk, Zarc said. "When Clear Wing is Summoned, I can negate the effect of all the Effect Monsters on your field and destroy them!"

"What?!"

A rain of beams shot out from Clear Wing's dichroic crystalized wings towards every monster on the field of the legendary duelists. One by one, the monsters were struck down by the deadly beams, especially Junk Warrior; its body was pierced by the beams of light horribly before exploding into particles. Dark Magician waved his staff, dispelling all the beams coming toward him, since he's a Normal Monster.

"Argh…!"

"Not to worry, Yusei!" Behind him, Judai suddenly raised his voice. "Since Elemental HERO Electrum is destroyed by a card effect, I activate my Trap Card, Elemental Mirage! This card will return every monster destroyed this turn back to the field, in their original state! Keep going, Yusei!"

To Yusei's relief, Junk Warrior, Steam Synchron and Electrum reappeared on the field as Elemental Mirage faded away.

"Tsk…" Zarc clicked his tongue. "You pests keep going around protecting each other… how annoying…"

"That is the power of our bond!" Yusei pointed at Zarc, who sneered. "When we work together with the same goal, we can get past any challenge, no matter how powerful it can be! And I will prove it… no, _we_ will prove it to you in this duel! I'm tuning my Level 5 Junk Warrior with my Level 3 Steam Synchron!"

Suddenly Yusei's right arm felt a piercing sting. He looked down, and his eyes widened.

"What the…?! How…?!"

The Head birthmark of the Crimson Dragon was glowing on his right arm.

 _Crimson Dragon… You think what I said was right, so you decided to lend me your power again for this fight…? Thank you very much!_

"Gathering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon!"

"Here it comes! Yusei's ace monster!" Judai cheered.

"Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!"

The Synchro rings were formed again by Steam Synchron, and Junk Warrior flew through them. In a flash of light, Yusei's trusted monster, the mighty Stardust Dragon, appeared on the field. The light coming from the dragon and its gentle cry made everyone feel lighter, as if they had just taken off a very big burden from their shoulders. The Lancers looked down their bodies in surprise; all their injuries from the fight with Zarc were starting to disappear.

"The Crimson Dragon is channeling its power through Stardust Dragon to help everyone…" Yusei mused.

The Extra Deck slot of Jack's Duel Disk suddenly started glowing. Startled, the ex-King opened it and took out Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, which was shining brightly.

"Wh... what happened, Jack?" asked Crow, who looked just as surprised as Jack. The former King answered in shock.

"This… Red Dragon Archfiend is responding to that dragon… It's just like… it's excited to see an old friend… no, more like old rival… although I've never met that guy before in my life…"

"It's not surprising," Akaba Leo said. He had also stood up. "In the Original Dimension, Jack Atlas was the best friend, and also the greatest rival, of Fudo Yusei. They once fought together in the same Team 5D's, which also included you, Crow Hogan…" he pointed at Crow. "Together, they protected the world, but when everything ended, they turned back to be the biggest rival of each other. Even after Jack became the unbeatable King of the World, Yusei was still the greatest challenge he always strived to surpass…"

Everyone in the Lancers was awestruck by the information the Professor had just given.

Suddenly, Jack pointed at the Duel Runner flying on the sky. "Fudo Yusei! I might not know you here, but if you really are my rival, I will not allow you to lose in this duel! Fight on, and never lose your hope!"

Yusei looked down in surprise, but then, a smile grew on his face. "Yes, I understand, Jack! Now, I turn Elemental HERO Electrum to Attack Mode and Battle!"

"When Clear Wing is on the field, you cannot target any other Synchro Monster on the field for attacks!" Zarc said. "And since Synchro is a part of me, you can only target Clear Wing!"

"What is he planning?" Crow asked in surprise. "No monster on his field has the power to surpass Z-ARC! And with the special power of Clear Wing…"

"Stardust Dragon, attack Clear Wing! Shooting Sonic!"

"They both have 2500 ATK! Both of them are going down together!" Sora pointed out. "He's doing this to force the destruction of that dragon!"

Zarc laughed. "Just a futile effort, Fudo Yusei! I activate the effect of Clear Wing! Once per turn, when this card attacks or is attacked, I can negate the attack and destroy your monster, then deal damage to you equal to half of that monster's ATK! Say good bye to your Stardust Dragon and 1250 Life Points, Fudo Yusei!"

Stardust's blast stopped abruptly on its way and dissipated into particles of light before it could reach Clear Wing. And from Clear Wing's dichroic wings, a rain of light arrows shot out, aiming at the other Synchro Monster.

But Yusei smiled. "Oh, really?"

Zarc's laughter stopped abruptly. "What?!"

"Stardust Dragon's effect, Victim Sanctuary!" Yusei declared. "When an effect which involves destruction of a card activates, I can tribute Stardust to negate it, and destroy the card! I will negate your effect and destroy Clear Wing!"

Before the arrow rain could touch it, Stardust had already exploded into a shower of glitter. The glitters of light flew toward the other dragon and covered it, and it seemed Clear Wing didn't have any way to escape.

"I thought you have something good, but you're just wasting your time, Fudo Yusei!" Zarc laughed haughtily again. "My effect makes Supreme King monsters on my field immune to the effect of Synchro, Xyz, and Fusion monsters!"

"I thought so."

Yusei's answer completely took Zarc aback. "What?!"

"I know that you are not going to let your dragon be destroyed," Yusei answered calmly. "You would try to stop it from being killed together with Stardust, but by doing that, you let yourself be exposed. When your Clear Wing is on the field, we cannot attack any other Synchro monster except for it; it means your Supreme King Dance is useless! Now, Elemental HERO Electrum, attack Clear Wing! Fusionist Magistery!"

Zarc's eyes widened when he realized what was going on. _So that's why he baited me on using Clear Wing's effect with that attack… He wanted me to waste its effect to be negated by Stardust, and then… oh crap, Electrum has 2900 ATK!_

"So that's what you are aiming for, but you are underestimating me! I activate the effect of Supreme King Dance, and at the same time, I chain it with the effect of Clear Wing!" Zarc hollered. "Clear Wing's effect will let me return it to the Extra Deck to Special Summon back the two Darkwurms, and now Clear Wing has left the field, Supreme King Dance will come into effect! The new attack target of Electrum will be… myself!" he grinned evilly.

Yusei's eyes widened. "Oh shit…!"

"Die, Electrum!" Zarc cackled with glee. A beam of golden energy blasted out and obliterated the HERO, bringing the four duelists' Life Point down by 1100 (Legendary Duelists' LP: 2900).

At the same time, the four legendary duelists felt pain crashing through their bodies.

"Wh… what the…!?" Yugi gasped out. "It's just like we took the damage from that attack ourselves!"

"And you still haven't realized it?" Zarc sneered. "These monsters, the damage, everything is real! It's all thanks to that man over there…" he pointed at Akaba Leo, "with his brilliant invention of bringing Solid Vision to life!"

"Bringing…"

"…Solid Vision…"

"…to…"

"…life!?"

Zarc smirked cruelly before the shocked faces of the four heroes. "That's right! And it is also the very same thing that made me who I am right now! Real Solid Vision did nothing but revealing every flaw of humanity; they don't care anything about each other, what they want is non-stop violence. As an entertainer, I must fulfil their desires. But I must thank them; after all, thanks to them, I could find my own way of entertainment! My entertainment is destruction, and the ultimate entertaining act is the annihilation of the universe! By that, I will fulfil the demand of humankind, to bring about the violence they crave so much! AHAHAHAHA!"

Yugi gritted his teeth. "You—"

" **Partner, let me take this duel from here. I have something I need to say to him."**

Yugi's eyes widened. "Other me…"

Around Yugi's neck, the Millennium Puzzle started shining in a golden light. At the same time, Yugi stood up from the ground. He closed his eyes, and his body also started glowing. When the light faded, the King of Games was still standing, but his hairstyle had gotten a few changes, and his face donned a more mature, serious expression.

Akaba Leo's eyes widened in awe. "This… could it be…"

Opening his eyes, Yugi… no, the spirit of the nameless Pharaoh, Yami Yugi, pointed at Zarc, who seemed to be taken aback with the appearance of the new person.

"Zarc! I don't know much about the future, about your entertainment, or anything you said. I only know that, entertainment is not about hurting other people. It's about making people forget about their sadness and sorrow, and bringing joy to their souls! You said that humankind wanted non-stop violence, so you must be the one fulfilling it? Don't make me laugh! What humankind wants is one thing, but what you _choose_ to do is another thing; they don't have anything related to each other! No one forces you to do that; it was you who chose the way of destruction yourself! Everything you said about fulfilling the demand of humankind is just the excuse you made up to satisfy your own bloating ego, your thirst for violence, and your selfish desire for attention, that's all!"

Then he looked back at Yusei. "Yusei, continue with your move! Show this wannabe Supreme King how it is to be a real Duelist!"

Yusei smiled in answer. "Yes, Yugi-san! I set all of my hand and end my turn! Bring it on, Zarc!"

"Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone was startled by the laughter coming from Zarc. It wasn't the haughty, smug laughter he used to give them, but instead, a deranged, crazy one full of hatred. It seemed Yami Yugi's speech had broken his ego.

"You… bastard!" he snarled at the nameless Pharaoh while drawing his card. "If that's what you choose, I will give you the most painful death! My servants, attack Dark Magician!"

The two Darkwurms rose to the sky and started bombarding Dark Magician with their breaths of dark wind. But, with his higher DEF, the spellcaster easily swept the attack away with his staff.

"When my Supreme King Gates are on the field, all the damage to me would be nullified, and added to my Life Point as a result!" Zarc smirked as his Life Point rose back to over its original level (Zarc's LP: 4100).

"Damn it!" Yuma cursed. "His Life Point went back up again! Everything we have done since the start of this duel is useless!"

" **Don't worry, Yuma. That's just proven that everything we thought about him was true after all."**

Yuma jerked up in surprise. "Astral? Where have you been all the time?"

" **I have been watching the duel in the Emperor's Key,"** the Astral World's emissary said, appearing next to the Xyz user. **"Zarc just doesn't feel comfortable when someone manages to scrape off even a little bit of his life; he has to raise it back by any means. That proves he's nothing but a dirty coward who can't even take a little bit risk. You have nothing to fear about him, Yuma."**

"Another pest joining the fight…" Zarc sneered. "You say there is nothing to fear? Then I'll show you fear! I will attack Dark Magician! Sit there and watch your most trusted servant being obliterated, Muto Yugi!"

The beam of golden energy once again shot towards Yugi's monster, but Yusei had prepared for it.

"Trap Card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, activate! I can negate an attack and set this card back on the field!"

The scarecrow made of junk flew out from the card and jumped into the way of the attack, taking the full brunt of it before retreating back into the card, leaving Dark Magician unharmed.

"Tch…" Zarc clicked his tongue in annoyance again. "Well then, I set this card and end my turn!"

With Zarc's declaration, Stardust Dragon returned to the field in another rain of glittering light.

"Yuma-san, it's your turn!" Yusei called toward the Xyz user. The boy nodded confidently.

"Yes, I know! I will show you what kattobingu means!"


	5. Chapter 5: Go With the Flow

**Chapter 5: Go with the Flow**

Yuma looked at his hand. Gagaga Magician, Gagaga Girl, Half Unbreak… Everything he needed was already here.

"I draw!"

He glanced at the card he had just drawn. _Hyper Quick…_

"Now I will show you what happens when someone dares to go against my will! Trap Card, Supreme King Brutality!"

"What…?!"

"That's the Trap Card he used to completely break my strategy…" the Professor gritted his teeth.

"That's right!" Zarc cackled. "When I control a Supreme King monster, I will look through your hand and send a number of cards equal to the number of Supreme King cards I control! Since I have six cards on my field…"

"No! It means he's going to have to discard his whole hand!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Yes!" Zarc laughed. "Now, Tsukumo Yuma, show me your hand and send all of them to the Graveyard!"

Yuma's eyes widened in horror when he saw his cards flew away from his hand. "No…!"

"Gagaga Magician, Gagaga Girl… You are going to go for an Xyz Summon, aren't you?" Zarc sneered. "Too bad, you won't get a chance! Now, take 300 damage for each card sent to your Graveyard!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Immediately, the heroes were all shocked by red lightning coming from everywhere around them. The evil electricity arched through their bodies; their hearts felt like stopping, their blood vessels seemed to explode in agony… Yusei's Duel Runner crashed into the ground; Yusei and Judai were both thrown off their seat. (Legendary Duelists' LP: 1100)

"Yes, yes, scream! Scream louder!" Zarc giggled hysterically. "Scream even more; show me that you're in despair! You're in despair, are you? Now that you can't even do anything, end your turn so I can crush you once and for all!"

"We're… not… done… yet…!"

Zarc raised an eyebrow. "You should know when to give up, Fudo Yusei!" he snarled when he saw Yusei reaching for his Duel Disk, which was now on the ground next to him. "Tsukumo Yuma doesn't have anything else on his hand; it's no different from having no way to play!"

"I activate my already Set Trap Card: Hope for Escape!" Yusei, finally managing to put his Duel Disk back on his wrist and stand up, said. "When our Life Point is lower than you, we can pay 1000 Life Points to draw one card for each 1000 points of difference! And since this is still his Draw Phase, you cannot use your ability to destroy the cards drawn by this effect!" (Legendary Duelists' LP: 100)

 _4000 Life Points… meaning… 4 cards…!_

"Yes!" Yuma also said, raising his hand. "And when you send Hyper Quick to the Graveyard, its effect also activates! I can draw one card, and if it is a Spell Card, I can treat it as a Quick-play Spell Card!"

"Good!" Reiji's eyes brightened. "With these two effects, he basically recovered all the cards Zarc sent to the Graveyard! They still have a chance!"

Yuma drew the first four cards through the effect of Hope for Escape. His face brightened with each card he drew.

 _But… this is still not enough… I need…_

" **Have you forgotten about me?"** he heard Astral's voice next to his ears. **"It's time for us to use our full power."**

"Astral…" he mumbled. "Yeah, let's go!"

Then Yuma and Astral started glowing. One shone with a brilliant blue light, and the other with a vibrant red light. They started flying towards each other, just like two Overlay Units in an Xyz Summon.

" **When two hearts** join together **in the spirit of hope,** nothing is impossible! Xyz **Change** ZEXAL **II**!" they chanted at the same time, and the field was covered in a blinding light. When the light faded away, Judai gasped.

"Wow…!"

Yuma had changed. He wasn't wearing the same clothes he had been wearing before anymore; his outfit had turned into a black spandex-like suit with white, bulky armor covering outside. His Duel Disk had also turned into something similar to a red and white shield. His left eye, instead of wearing his D-Gazer, was now glowing in a brilliant golden light.

He put his fingers on the card on top of his deck. The card started glowing.

"All of our hope is lying in this card!" he declared. "With this draw, I will decide everything! Shining… DRAW!"

The card drew an arc of light in the air. Yuma glanced at it, and smiled.

"Yes! This is it! Now, I Normal Summon Gagaga Mancer! And when she is Normal Summoned, I can target one Gagaga monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! And I choose the card you have just sent to the Graveyard: Gagaga Magician!"

"Two Level 4 monsters on the field…" Shun's eyes narrowed. "That means…"

"Now, I overlay Gagaga Mancer with Gagaga Magician to build the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear, Number 39: Utopia!"

Both of Yuma's monsters turned into purple lights and flew into the galaxy forming in the middle of the field. Then, a blast of light exploded from inside the heart of the mini galaxy, and something that looked like a sword appeared from it. It unfolded, and in a loud cry, the complete form of Number 39: Utopia appeared on the field. He swung his sword, pointing it toward Zarc like a declaration of war.

"But if he uses Xyz Summon, Zarc will…" Kaito muttered.

"And now, from my hand, I activate the card I've drawn! Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force! With this card, I can use Utopia and all of its Material to Chaos Xyz Evolve it into a Chaos Number monster with 1 Rank higher! Come, Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray Victory!"

Before the surprise look of everyone, Utopia started transforming. His body glowed, and armor pieces started appearing from thin air to replace the old one. Piece after piece flew into their place on the warrior's body, giving him a new armor much more powerful than his original one. And the most prominent feature on his body was that now he had four arms instead of two. With the last flash of light, the advanced form of Utopia arrived on the field.

"You still haven't learnt anything, have you Tsukumo Yuma?" Zarc hollered. "Chaos Xyz or whatever it is, it is still just Xyz Summon! And when you perform an Xyz Summon, I will also Overlay my two Darkwurms!"

The two servant dragons also started glowing purple. They turned into balls of purple light and flew into the black galaxy forming on Zarc's field.

"The fangs of rebellion living in pitch black darkness, give in and obey me! Xyz Summon! Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion!"

"Yuto's dragon again…" Shun gritted his teeth when the black dragon appeared on the field with a roar.

"No matter!" Yuma declared confidently. "Utopia Ray Victory, attack Dark Rebellion! And right at this moment, I activate his effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I negate all of Dark Rebellion's effect and add its ATK to Victory's ATK!"

"Futile! You really have learnt nothing from your partners!" Zarc snorted. "Everything depends on when you use your effect! I will activate Dark Rebellion's effect in response to your Utopia Ray Victory's! I will use one Overlay Unit to change your Utopia's ATK to 0 and gains its ATK for my own! And since the effect of Dark Rebellion falls into Chain Link 2, it will resolve before your monster effect can!"

"That's not good!" Sawatari exclaimed. "Then both of those monsters' ATK will be the same! With that Supreme King Dance on the field, only Utopia Ray Victory will be destroyed in the battle!"

But to Zarc's horror, Dark Rebellion remained still on his field.

"Wh-what the…?! Why isn't it…?!"

"You didn't pay attention, did you?" Yuma grinned. "After Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force is played, all face-up cards on the field have their effects negated! And just like you said, everything depends on when you use your effect! Since you chained your summon into the activation of Numeron Force, Dark Rebellion got to the field before the effect resolves; that's why its effect also got negated!"

"You… you bastard!" Zarc couldn't do anything but seething in anger.

"And because of Numeron Force's power, the effects of both your Supreme King Gates are also negated!" Yuma pumped his fist triumphantly. "Now you see that, Zarc? You keep telling us that we don't have any hope against you, but if that is true, we have managed to do the impossible! We will show you, even when there is only darkness around, just a glimpse of hope is more than enough to light the way for us! What you must do is believe in yourself, in everyone around you! Hope Sword Double Victory Slash!"

The four arms of Utopia Ray Victory brandished their swords, and the warrior rushed towards the black dragon, who blasted a wave of energy at him in retaliation. But the Number monster pushed through, and with four slashes, the dragon was turned into a bunch of mince meat. A deafening explosion ensued. (Zarc's LP: 1300)

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Zarc screamed when he felt the pain piercing his body. He slumped down on his dragon body, sweat rolling down his cheeks, beads by beads. This was the first time… the FIRST time in his life since he acquired the godly power, that he was humiliated like this…

* * *

Sakaki Yuya found himself floating in a void.

"Why… am I here…?"

He blinked. Now he remembered. He was fighting Yuri, and despite managing to beat the sadist, he was still forced to absorb the Fusion user into him, and after that…

Ah, right. He had become Zarc. The Dimension Destroyer. Now, nothing can stop Zarc from destroying everything… again…

He doesn't want that. There is no way he could want something like that to happen. But what choice does he have? Zarc was, after all, the most powerful force of the universe now. Nothing could stand a chance against him… Not to mention, _he_ is Zarc. If Zarc somehow was killed, it would be the end of him too.

But considering what was happening out there, it might be better if he died…

He still remembered what happened in his duel with Yuri. He had completely lost his mind when the four dragons were summoned to the field. And the point where he lost all his hope was exactly the time when he won the duel. After all, there is nothing called Sakaki Yuya in this world; there is only Zarc, the destroyer of worlds… and he is just a piece of Zarc, nothing more, nothing less…

"…What you must do is believe in yourself, in everyone around you!"

He blinked. _Believe in yourself…_

* * *

"I'm not even close to finish yet!" Yuma declared, activating another Spell Card. "I activate Monster Reborn! With this card, I will bring back Elemental HERO Neos from the Graveyard in Defense Mode! And then, I set one card and end my turn!"

"Thanks, Yuma!" Judai raised him a thumb-up when Neos reappeared on his field. Yuma grinned back.

"No problem! There is no way I can leave your ace monster dead in the Graveyard forever, ri…?"

"ENOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone was startled when they heard the ear-piercing scream coming from Zarc. No one could ever imagine him screaming like that.

"It seems we finally made him snap," Yami Yugi noted in amusement.

"Trap Card, Supreme King's Wrath! Since I took 2000 or more damage from your attack, I can use this card to Special Summon all of my servants to the field!"

"What?! That's just absurd!" Yusei protested. "You cannot…!"

"There is nothing I cannot do!" Zarc laughed cruelly. "Now, prepare to face despair! Come back to the field, my servant dragons!"

To everyone's horror, the Supreme King Dragons started appearing on Zarc's field one by one. Their roars resonated with Supreme King Z-ARC's and with each other, shaking the whole reality itself.

"Damn it! So everything we did since the beginning was useless!" Judai cursed.

"How are we supposed to deal with something like this?" Yusei also gritted his teeth.

But contrary to everyone's fear, Yuma's face was just as calm as ever.

"What's wrong Tsukumo Yuma?" Zarc asked arrogantly. "Are you so scared you can't even express your own emotion properly?"

"On the contrary," Yuma answered with a confident smile. "At times like this, what you need to do is just going with the flow."

* * *

"Going with the flow?" Zarc laughed. "What can you even do against me now, when I and all my servants have gathered here together? Tell you what; I didn't want to resort to this, but now that you've mocked me so much, I will give you all the most painful death possible! Draw!"

He drew a card, but didn't even bother looking at it. He pointed at Yuma. "Now I'll give you a taste of the power of your own monster, Tsukumo Yuma! Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom's effect! Each turn, I can choose a monster on your field or Graveyard and steal its effect for my own use! The target I choose is Utopia Ray Victory!"

Yuma's eyes widened when the jaws full of disgusting pointy fangs on the plant dragon's chest burst out and bit down on Utopia Ray Victory, draining him of his color. "Utopia!"

"And when Starving Venom is on the field, all of my monsters can inflict piercing damage! Now, anything to say before being obliterated?"

The four heroes could only grit their teeth.

"As I thought!" Zarc cackled. "Even legendary duelists in the past can only do that much against me! Now, die! Clear Wing, attack Utopia Ray Victory!"

Upon Zarc's command, the white dragon rushed forward at the direction of the warrior, who was struggling helplessly in the maw of Starving Venom.

"Now, Clear Wing's effect! The battle is negated, and your Utopia is destroyed! Take 2800 points of damage and die!"

The dragon stopped in midair, and from the clear, sickly green pair of wings, light beams burst out, aiming at Utopia. Being restrained in the maw of the poison dragon, there was no way he could escape…

"Trap Card, Xyz Revenge Shuffle, open! When my Xyz Monster is targeted for an attack, I can return it back to the Extra Deck and Special Summon another Xyz Monster from the Graveyard, then attach this card to it as an Overlay Unit!"

To Zarc's surprise, Utopia Ray Victory disappeared in a shower of light. The beams just passed through it harmlessly and exploded somewhere behind the horizon. And, the light glittered gathered together, revealing the original Utopia on the field, swinging his sword proudly.

"Good!" Yugi nodded. "Now that Clear Wing cannot use its destruction effect anymore!"

Zarc snarled. "In that case… Odd-Eyes, attack Stardust Dragon! Odd-Eyes' effect will double the damage!"

The dragon with dichromatic eyes also snarled and charged at Stardust Dragon; its mouth, which was full of dripping saliva, came down the head of the Signer Dragon in a downward slash.

"Yusei-san, now!"

"Got it!" Yusei nodded. "Trap Card, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! I negate the attack and set it back on the field!"

The scarecrow made of junk once again flew out of its card, and Odd-Eyes slammed its head painfully on it and was thrown backward onto the ground.

"Grr… Why are you all so insistent on slowing down your unavoidable demise?" Zarc gritted his teeth in anger. "Slowing it down won't help you stop it! Starving Venom, attack Dark Magician! And thanks to your Utopia's effect, you won't be able to activate any Spell or Trap Card!"

"Because there is no one going to die here today, Zarc!" Yuma yelled back. "From my Graveyard, I activate Bacon Saver's effect! By banishing it from the Graveyard, I negate your attack!"

In front of Dark Magician, a holographic image of a pig skeleton appeared and took the whole brunt of the attack, saving the spellcaster from being mowed down by the slimy vines coming from the dragon.

"You are too stubborn for your own good, Tsukumo Yuma!" Zarc snarled. "Dark Rebellion, attack Neos! And with Dark Rebellion's power, I detach one Overlay Unit to reduce Neos' attack to 0 and add that amount to Dark Rebellion's ATK! Take 3000 points of piercing damage!"

"From my hand, I activate Rainbow Kuriboh's special effect! When my opponent declares an attack, I can equip it to the attacking monster from my hand; the equipped monster won't be able to attack!"

Zarc screamed hysterically when the little ball which was Rainbow Kuriboh appeared on top of the black dragon's head and grabbed it, directing the beam of energy coming from its mouth to the sky.

"WHY!? WHY DO YOU KEEP HINDERING ME, TSUKUMO YUMA! WHY ARE YOU SO DETERMINED TO PROTECT THOSE USELESS MONSTERS!?"

"Because they are not like you, Zarc!"

The four heroes turned. The Lancers had all arrived at the battlefield on their monsters, and it was Reiji who had just said those words.

"You call yourself an entertainer, and hold the power to do it in your hand, yet everything you did was succumbing to the lust of violent people and trying to destroy everything!" the leader of the Lancers said. "But they are different; they choose to use their power for protecting others, and that's why they are stronger than you!"

"That's right!" Jack added in. "Sakaki Yuya, a true Entertainment Duelist, would never do anything like you did!"

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SAKAKI YUYA!" Zarc hurled the words at the heroes, as if those words would cause them unbearable pain. "SAKAKI YUYA, AND EVERYTHING ELSE, IS JUST A PAWN IN MY PLAN TO COME BACK! HE IS JUST A PART OF ME, NOTHING ELSE!"

"Oh, really?" Crow sneered at Zarc. "I don't remember Yuya, Yugo, or even that Yuri bastard to be such a coward and selfish person as you are."

"That's right!" Kaito also chimed in. "And Yuto is always a nice person; he always wants to make people smile, even in wars! How can people like them be parts of some evil bastard like you?"

"NO MATTER!" Zarc shrieked. "YOU ALREADY RAN OUT OF EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT THEM, AND I WILL PERSONALLY FINISH YOU! I WILL ATTACK DARK MAGICIAN! DIE!"

The beam of golden energy once again shot at Dark Magician, and it seemed this time there was nothing that can stop it anymore. An explosion shook the whole battlefield.

"Finally!" Zarc laughed triumphantly. "I finally destroyed those pests… eh?"

"When I have nothing in my hand, Tasuke Knight's effect will activate from the Graveyard!" The voice of Yuma rose from inside the cloud of smoke. "I can Special Summon it from the field, and end your Battle Phase immediately!"

"What… But… How…"

Those were the only words Zarc could stammer out. Everything, every SINGLE thing he did was stopped by these duelists, these artifacts of the past who didn't even have anything which could even hope to reach his level…

Judai laughed. "Actually, we have to thank you, Zarc; if you didn't send all of Yuma's hand to the Graveyard at the beginning of his turn, how could we have the chance to avoid everything you sent at us?"

"Sakaki Yuya!" Yami Yugi shouted. "I don't know you, but I know you are listening to what we are saying inside Zarc! And I believe you are not Zarc, and you are still fighting him from the inside! But you have to believe in yourself; you are you, not a part of Zarc, not a part of anyone else in this universe! You are Sakaki Yuya, and we're here, always on your side!"

"Bah! Stop wasting your breath, nameless Pharaoh!" Zarc snarled at him. "There is no Sakaki Yuya to hear you!"

"Yuya."

Everyone's heads snapped towards the direction of the voice. It came from Reira, but the voice… it wasn't that of the little girl, but of someone else… the voice of Hiiragi Yuzu.

"Remember the time we're together, Yuya?" the spirit of Yuzu inside Reira said. "You are always the Entertainer who strives to bring smile to everyone. You never give up, never lose yourself to despair; your smile was the very thing which gave me hope when I was sent across the four dimensions. So… come back to us, Yuya? Let me see that smile of yours again?"

"Yu… zu…"

Suddenly Zarc let out a howl of pain. The scream was so terrifying, more terrifying than what he had let out from before, but it wasn't out of rage or anything like that. It was more like… fear.

"Look!" Gongenzaka suddenly pointed up.

To everyone's surprise, Zarc's face started changing. The right half of the face was still Zarc's, with his eerie golden eye, but the left half, which was furiously morphing and twisting, had another eye… the green eye of Sakaki Yuya.

"No! This cannot be…!" Zarc screamed; his voice was clearly full of terror now. "I am Zarc! I am _you_!"

"No… you're… not…!"

"That's Yuya's voice!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. "He's still fighting!"

"Yeah," Shun nodded. "If only there is a way to pull him out of Zarc…!"

"Reira… what's happening?"

Reiji's voice pulled everyone's heads back. Reira's deck was glowing, and from it, four cards slowly floated out. The four En cards.

"Wha…?" Leo's eyes widened. "What's happening to them…?"

Then with a flash of light, the four cards disappeared. At the same time, four silver bracelets with different color gems appeared on Reira's arm. They were all glowing in the same bright light.

"The bracelets are speaking with me…" the girl mused. Then her eyes widened. "Legendary duelists! If you can somehow destroy those dragons… I… I think I can use the power of these bracelets to pull Yuya out of Zarc!"

"That's exactly what I'm going to do during this last turn," Yami Yugi answered her with a smile. His Millennium Puzzle also started glowing, and he put his fingers on the top card of his deck. "Draw!"


	6. Chapter 6: Passionate Duelists

**Chapter 6: Passionate Duelists**

The nameless Pharaoh looked at the card he had just drawn, and smiled.

" _I already told you, partner, that this card is going to be useful some day."_

" _Yeah. After all, there isn't any useless card in our deck, right?"_

"This will be the final move of the duel!" he declared. "First, I tribute Tasuke Knight to summon Archfiend of Gilfer from my hand!"

"Archfiend… of Gilfer?" Sawatari blinked. "Wait, I know this card…"

"Fool!" Despite writhing in pain, Zarc still sneered. "What can you do with this pathetic card? And in Attack Mode, even!"

But despite Zarc's taunt, Yami Yugi just smirked. "Oh, is that so?"

"Trap Card, Panic Wave, open!" Next to him, Yusei declared. "With this card, I can destroy Archfiend of Gilfer to negate the effect of all face-up monsters, Continuous Spells and Continuous Traps on the field during this turn!"

Zarc's eyes widened. "What?!"

To his shock, all of his dragons and his Supreme King Dance started turning gray, signaling their loss of effect. And Zarc was terrified when he suddenly saw Clear Wing's ATK dropping to 2000.

"What is happening to my dragon?" he demanded in shock, and Yami Yugi smirked.

"Archfiend of Gilfer's effect! When it is sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can equip it to a monster on the field, and it will lose 500 ATK! Now any monster on my field can defeat it!"

"Even if you do that…" Zarc breathed out, "my two Supreme King Gates are still not Continuous Spells or Traps! Their effects aren't negated!"

"Ah, that's true. But they can now be destroyed."

Zarc's spine went stiff. "What…"

"Now, from my hand, I activate my Spell Card, Dark Magic Attack! When Dark Magician is on the field, all Spell and Trap Cards on your field would be destroyed!"

Dark Magician raised his scepter. At the tip of the staff, a sphere of black energy formed, and with a yell, the sphere was sent at Zarc and exploded, blasting away Supreme King Dance together with Zarc's two Pendulum Scales.

"Now they can finally take away Zarc's Life Point!" Edo cheered.

"That's not the end of it!" the nameless Pharaoh spirit continued. "Now, from my hand, I activate Dark Magic Curtain! With this card, I can pay half of our Life Point to bring out Dark Magician Girl from my deck! Come to the field, Dark Magician Girl!" (Legendary Duelists' LP: 50)

In a gust of wind, a creepy looking curtain dropped down on the heroes' field. It opened, and from the inside, Dark Magician Girl flew out in all her glory. She winked, and all the males on the field, except Yugi and Zarc, of course, felt themselves blushing uncontrollably.

"When Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl are both on the field, I can activate the Magic Card, Dark Magic Twin Burst!" Yami Yugi finished, slotting the final card on his hand into his Duel Disk. "Dark Magician will gain the ATK of Dark Magician Girl!"

"So that means… 4500 ATK!" Sora cheered. "More than enough to destroy Supreme King Z-ARC!"

"Now, battle! It's time for us to bring down Zarc, together!" Yami Yugi declared. "Yusei, you go first!"

"Yes, Yugi-san!" Yusei nodded. "Stardust Dragon, attack Supreme King Dragon Clear Wing! Shooting Sonic!"

The Signer mark on Yusei's arm glowed brightly, and the beam of light once again shot out from the Signer Dragon's maw toward the weakened Clear Wing. This time, it connected, and the corrupted dragon was blasted into particles of light and disappeared. (Zarc's LP: 800)

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHH!" Zarc screamed in pain, and at the same time, the bracelet corresponding to the En Wind card, Rin's bracelet, started glowing brightly.

"Wh… what the… NO!" Zarc shrieked in horror when his own body also started glowing. The two sources of light resonated with each other, both getting brighter and brighter, until the light covered the whole battlefield. Inside the light, Zarc let out a blood-curling howl.

And when the light faded, on the battlefield appeared another person. It was…

"Yugo!" Edo and Kaito exclaimed at the same time.

"Wh… what's going on…" the newly appeared boy groaned, holding his head. "I just remember I was absorbed by that bastard Yuri… and…"

"You really were absorbed," Leo answered him. "But thanks to the work of those heroes over there, you were rescued."

"Wait, what…?!" Yugo looked at the man who had just said those words and startled. "Isn't he…?!"

"Yes, he's the Professor," Reiji nodded at the boy. "But right now, things like that aren't important anymore. Right now, everyone's hearts only focus at one thing: defeating Zarc once and for all. And it seems we are about to do it, with the help of those legendary heroes from the past."

He pointed at the battlefield, and Yugo marveled when he saw the form of Stardust Dragon. "Wow… so beautiful…"

Back to the battlefield, Zarc had recovered from the attack. "You… but that's the end of what you can do! Now that Archfiend of Gilfer is not on the field anymore…"

And his eyes widened when it was Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom's turn to get its ATK lowered. "What…? But… how…"

"You were right when you said that Archfiend of Gilfer wasn't on the field anymore," Yami Yugi said with a smile. "When the monster it equips itself to is destroyed, it is also destroyed together with it. But when it is destroyed…"

"…it can reequip itself to another monster on the field!" Sawatari's right fist punched his left palm. "So, as long as there is a monster on Zarc's field, all of Zarc's monsters are going to have their ATK reduced!"

Everyone looked at Sawatari. He scowled. "What? At least I can still remember what I learned at school!"

"That's right!" Judai pumped his fist. "Yugi-san, leave this one to me! Elemental HERO Neos, attack Starving Venom! Wrath of Neos!"

The Normal HERO Monster roared a battle cry, and jumped into the sky. His hand glowing, he slammed into the corrupted dragon and delivered a chop at its head. The sharpened hand slashed through the dragon's body, splitting it in half.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Zarc howled again when lightning pierced through his body with the dragon's destruction, and this time, Serena's bracelet was the one to glow. With another flash, this time it was Yuri who arrived at the field. (Zarc's LP: 600)

"Tsk… why is this bastard also revived?" Sawatari scowled. "I'd rather he was left to die together with Zarc…"

The revived Fusion user only gave him a glare in response. But that was still enough for Sawatari to relent in fear.

"It's my turn next, Yugi-san!" Yuma looked at the King of Games, and he nodded.

"Yes, let's do it, Yuma!"

"Let's go, Utopia!" the Xyz user declared. "Attack Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion! Hope Sword Slash!"

The ATK point of Dark Rebellion was reduced to 2000 by the effect of Gilfer right at the time Utopia leapt at it, brandishing his sword. The sword started glowing with a golden light, and with a downward slash, the black dragon was also cut down. (Zarc's LP: 100)

"NO! THIS CANNOT BE!" Zarc screamed when the third bracelet, which belonged to Ruri, started glowing. "YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME!"

"Yes, we are! And we are going to do it, right now!" Reira, or more exactly, Ray in Reira's body, said, raising her arm high. "We are not going to allow you to harm people anymore, Zarc!"

The bright light engulfed the field again.

"Ugh… where am I…?" Yuto groaned when he could finally open his eyes again. Answering him was Shun, who was giving him his hand.

"Welcome back, Yuto."

The boy smiled, and grabbed the hand sticking out for him.

"Yes! Now there is only Yuya left!" Gongenzaka said excitedly.

"But wait… if Yugi-san destroys Odd-Eyes with his Dark Magician right now to rescue Yuya, isn't Zarc still alive?" questioned Sora. "That means we still couldn't defeat him completely!"

"Yes, yes! That's right!" Zarc howled, clutching at his final bit of hope. "If you cannot destroy me, I would never be defeated! I will come back, stronger than ever, and next time, no one of you, even you heroes from the past, would be able to defeat me again! HAHAHAHA!"

But Yami Yugi just smiled. "I know. And I will not let you escape. You will never be able to terrorize any world again."

"Hah! Big talk!" Zarc laughed. "The only thing you have right now is your Dark Magician! If you choose to attack me, you won't be able to rescue Sakaki Yuya! He will just die together with me! And if you attack Odd-Eyes with Dark Magician Girl, your Dark Magic Twin Burst will lose its effect!"

"I know that. That's why… Dark Magician Girl, attack Supreme King Dragon Odd-Eyes!"

"WHAT?!"

Now not only Zarc, but everyone exclaimed at the same time.

Except for Yugi and Yusei. The King of Games smiled.

"Yusei, do you think it's time to activate the final Trap Card?"

The Signer answered him also with a smile.

"Trap Card, Enduring Soul, open! If a face-up monster on our field in Attack Mode would be destroyed by battle, it won't be destroyed, but it will lose 800 ATK after Damage Calculation!"

"So…" said Gongenzaka. "Dark Magician Girl will be able to destroy Odd-Eyes…"

"…while not being destroyed in the process…" continued Edo.

"…and Yugi-san would still have Dark Magician left to destroy Zarc once and for all!" Reiji finished. "We are going to be saved!"

"Go, Dark Magician Girl! Black Burning Attack!"

Energy started gathering at the tip of Dark Magician Girl's wand. At the same time, Archfiend of Gilfer's spirit grabbed Supreme King Dragon Odd-Eyes from behind, decreasing its ATK. And with a spirited cry, the sphere of pink and purple magic from Dark Magician Girl's weapon shot forward, obliterating the weakened dragon.

"Ugh…"

And right on cue, the final bracelet – Yuzu's bracelet – on Reira's arm started shining.

"Yuya!" called Crow.

"Come back to us, Yuya!" Shun yelled, pumping his fist to the sky.

"Everyone is waiting for you, Yuya!" Gongenzaka also shouted.

"YUYA!"

 _Thank you, everyone…_

The light faded, and the boy named Sakaki Yuya once again appeared in front of everyone.

"Yeah, I'm back, everyone," he greeted them with a smile.

"Everyone! Look at Zarc!"

The shout of Sora pulled everyone back to the problem at hand.

Zarc didn't look like Yuya anymore. In fact, it didn't look like he even had a _body_ anymore. Right now, he was just a black, smoky humanoid figure attached to the head of Supreme King Z-ARC, which was roaring and thrashing around in pain.

"So that is the true form of Zarc…" Reiji mused. "If we destroy this, Zarc won't be able to return, ever again!"

" **No… You can't do this! You can't do this to me! I am Zarc! I am God! You don't have the right to do this to me!"**

"You still don't get it, do you?" This time, it was Yuya who stepped up. "No matter how powerful you are, this world doesn't need you. No one needs a god who considers mindless destruction as 'fun' and 'entertaining', and they sure as hell don't need someone who thinks of that idea with a selfish and coward mind like you!"

"That is true," the nameless Pharaoh, standing next to Yuya, nodded in agreement. "And that's why you need to disappear, right here, right now! Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, get ready!"

" **No… no… stop… don't do this… STOOOOOOOOOOP!"**

"Black!"

"Twin!"

"Burst!"

(Zarc's LP: 0)

* * *

The duelists were standing on top of a building in the Standard Dimension, now dubbed the Pendulum Dimension after the four dimensions separated from Arc-V again. To everyone's relief, they saw all of their loved people in the new world, safe and sound. It meant what the Professor said before was the truth; everyone carded in the old Four Dimensions were now returned, albeit to the newly revived dimensions themselves instead of the Original Dimension.

"So… I guess it's time to say good bye." Finally, Reiji started. He reached out his hand, and Yugi grabbed it for a handshake. "Thank you all for helping us defeat Zarc."

"No problem," the King of Games shook his head. "We cannot just let someone like Zarc destroy the universe, right?"

"So… what will happen to us now?"

Everyone turned to Yuya, who was holding his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon card with a dejected look on his face.

"I thought with my dueling, I could bring smile to everyone… but turned out my card was just the tool of a mad person who wanted to destroy the universe… And I was also born as a piece of that maniac… How can I even call myself an entertainer after that?"

"Yuya…"

Yugi didn't say anything for a few seconds. Then, he said.

"Do you know the origin of Duel Monsters, Yuya?"

The boy in question blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

"In Ancient Egypt, Duel Monsters were created as a form of judging the heart of the player. The monster in their heart will reflect the personality of the owner; basically, how the duelists play the game shows whether they're good or bad. That's what the creator of the game, Maximillion Pegasus, told me. But personally, I think no matter what it is, after all, at the core, Duel Monster is still a game. And games are created for people to enjoy, to have fun with. You believe in that, don't you, Sakaki Yuya? Then just follow what your heart believes in, try your hardest to give people joy, and most importantly, enjoy yourself also."

Then he looked up the sky, which had fully formed at the horizon and was now turning red at dusk. "Pegasus told me the uglier, the more terrible the monsters look, the more evil they are, but I disagree. The cards themselves aren't evil; it's how the duelist uses them that make them good or bad. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon has been your partner for a long time, and has given a lot of people joy; you should continue putting your trust on it, and prove that even though you are its owner, you are not someone evil like Zarc. You are Sakaki Yuya, the entertainer, the one who strives for everyone's smile, and you can protect their smiles with your dragon, not destroy it. Walk your own way, and work so that you won't have to regret your choice."

Then Yugi's body started glowing. Not only him; the three other heroes of the past were also glowing with the same light.

"Seems it's time for us to go," Judai said, and the other three nodded in agreement.

"Are we… going to meet you again?" Yuto asked hesitantly. Yusei gave him a smile in return.

"Who knows? Maybe someday, if destiny gives us the chance."

Then he pulled the throttle, and his red Duel Runner flew to the sky, heading toward the sun before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Remember, never forget to smile, everyone!" Judai gave them a thumb-up, and leapt off the building before also disappearing in another flash of light.

"And never lose hope on your future!" Yuma winked, and also disappeared in light when he jumped to the direction of the sun.

Finally, Yugi grabbed Yuya's hand.

"Whenever you start to lose your hope, just think about the battle today and smile. You still have your own way to walk, and there are always people who care for you, who are ready to help you. Understand?"

Yuya nodded. "I understood."

Then the King of Games also disappeared in a flash of light. The rooftop now only had the Lancers, the four boys who used to be Zarc's reincarnations and Akaba Leo left.

No one said anything for a while. Then Yuri snorted and turned his back, starting to walk away.

"Stop right there, Yuri!" Yugo was the first one who noticed his departure. "Do you really think we're letting you go that easily?"

The Fusion user just snorted in response.

"Or what? Are you going to fight me now? I can take all of you down if you really want to."

"Don't be so arrogant!" Sawatari pointed at him. "Two or three duelists at the same time is one thing, but it's all of us here! Do you really think you stand a chance?"

"Oh? Do you want to try?" Yuri sneered, and activated his Duel Disk. Sawatari unconsciously took a step back.

"Guys, stop. Let him go, please."

Sawatari's head snapped back toward Yuya, who had just said those words.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded. "He was the one who carded half the people in the Dimension War! He also carded your own dad! How the hell can you even think of letting him go?"

It wasn't only Sawatari. Everyone was staring at Yuya as if he had just grown a second head.

Yuya shifted uneasily under everyone's stare.

"I really don't know," he answered honestly. "It's just… when I absorbed him and became Zarc, I had a glimpse of what happened in his head. I… I don't know, but I have a feeling that he's not that hopeless. Please…"

"It's easy for you to say," Yuto scowled. "What if he goes rampaging again?"

"Then I will stop him… no, _we_ will stop him," Yuya nodded confidently. "We already stopped him once before; we will be able to do it again, right?"

No one else could say anything in response to that answer. Then, after a few seconds, Reiji sighed.

"Very well. We'll let him go this time. But if there is something happen, you'd better take responsibility for it, understand?"

Yuya nodded. Then he turned to Yuri.

"Hey Yuri! You heard what everyone said! From now on, don't go around harming other people again, or we will come to get you! But I know you're not like that, right?"

The Fusion user only scowled, then with a few pushes on his Duel Disk, he disappeared in a violet flash, but not before leaving an annoyed huff at Yuya and his group.

Reiji then turned to Leo. "What are you going to do now, Father?"

The Professor sighed. "I'm… not really sure myself. But I think… if you allow me to… I will try my best to find a way to bring those girls back. Now I understand I was wrong when trying to put them back together without even thinking of what they could think; I didn't even think of them as human beings at all. Doing this is the only way I can atone for my sins. Then after that… you can do whatever you want with me; I would accept without question."

Silence covered the rooftop again. Then surprisingly, it was Yuto who spoke up first.

"Are you sure you can do that?"

Leo nodded. "I'm pretty sure I can. After all, the spirits of those girls have gathered inside Reira as Ray; I'm sure there will be a way to reverse the process to bring them back. And I know Ray would agree with me on this, right?" he looked at Reira, who smiled and nodded in confirmation.

"Then I'm counting on you," Yuto nodded, and reached out his hand. Leo took the hand reaching out for him and shook it.

"What about you guys?"

"Heh," Shun chuckled in defeat. "If Yuto himself already agreed, then I guess I have no choice but to put my hope on you. Although…"

He walked up, and gave the Professor a brutal punch to the stomach. The older man crumpled to the ground, clutching his torso in pain.

"That's for everything you've done to the Xyz Dimension, you bastard."

"Well, that could have been worse," Reiji looked at his father and noted. Leo sighed out, and chuckled.

"Yeah… Although now I can say for sure, as long as we have these youngsters, we won't ever have to face threats like Zarc again."

* * *

Months later…

Yuya was looking through the mailbox in his Duel Disk when he saw something interesting.

"Hm? A challenge letter?"

* * *

The day in the challenge letter had come, and Yuya was now standing in the central stadium together with Yugo and Yuto.

"What do you think this is gonna be?" Yugo asked in confusion. Yuto shrugged.

"Who knows? But the fact that all of us were sent that challenge letter means the challenger must be someone who knows all of us."

"Yeah," Yuya nodded in agreement. "Wonder who that could be…"

Suddenly, from the far side of the stadium, a cloaked figure entered. The three boys turned back; their eyes focused on the newcomer warily.

"Who are you?" Yugo demanded, pointing at the cloaked figure. "Are you the one who challenged us?"

The newcomer answered Yugo with a laugh. "Oh, Fusion, it's just a few months and you already forgot me?"

The three boys, as well as everyone who realized the voice, widened their eyes. "You're…"

The figure took off his cloak. Standing on the field right now was Yuri, but he looked nothing like the omnicidal maniac they had known before. In fact, for some reason, he looked… normal, if one didn't count the vivid violet hair.

"During those days of traveling through the dimensions, I have thought a lot about the reason I lost against you," he pointed at Yuya. "The words of the King of Games had really touched me, and I want to know how it feels to bring joy to people through Dueling. And through a lot of research and training, I have developed my own brand of Entertainment Dueling, so here and now, I challenge you, Sakaki Yuya, as a fellow Entertainment Duelist! Let's see whether your Entertainment Dueling or mine is the better one!"

Everyone was taken aback by Yuri's declaration. Yuri, the maniac who was the terror of both the Academia and the dimensions he went through, as an Entertainment Duelist? The idea was both wrong and intriguing at the same time.

Even Yuya himself was shocked. But the moment passed as quickly as it had come, and he smiled and brandished his Duel Disk.

"Then I think we will have to see that in a Duel, am I right?"

"Don't forget about us!" Yugo also spoke up enthusiastically while activating his own green Duel Disk. "The challenge is for all of us, not only you, Yuya!"

"That's right," Yuto also smiled, and his own Duel Disk flared to life. "I'm also eager to see what kind of 'entertainment' he's going to bring us."

" **WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! A FOUR-WAY ENTERTAINMENT DUEL BROUGHT TO US BY THE OWNERS OF THE FOUR HEAVENLY DRAGONS!"** From the speakers, the voice of the MC blasted out, echoing through the air. **"AND YURI, ONCE THE TERROR OF THE DIMENSIONS, HAS JUST DECLARED SOMETHING THOUGHT TO BE IMPOSSIBLE! WHAT IS HE GOING TO SHOW US?!"**

* * *

At the same time…

Akaba Leo was pouring every bit of effort he had into his work. So far, he had already found a hypothesis of how to bring the four Bracelet Girls back without causing any further harm to the dimensions. But he still hadn't received any acceptable result with it. Even so, he didn't give up. He still pushed himself harder and harder each day, because that's what he needed to do…

Suddenly the machine he was working on flared up an alarm. And his eyes widened.

"What… what is this reaction…?!"

* * *

The stadium was suddenly lit up when four beams of light with different colors struck it from above.

"What the hell is happening…?!"

"Is this something in your so-called Entertainment Dueling, bastard?" Yugo yelled into the blinding screen of light in front of him.

"That guy, Entertainment Dueling? I can't believe I could live to see the day someone said those words to my face."

"Wait…" Yugo and Yuya's eyes widened. "That voice…"

The light faded, and Hiiragi Shuzo on the spectator stand burst into tears.

Looking back at Yuya, Yuzu gave him the brightest smile.

"We're back."

Yuya greeted her with his own smile. "Welcome back, Yuzu."

The romantic moment was shattered unceremoniously by Rin, who chose this time to raise her voice.

"Oh, having a duel? No way you guys are going to leave us out of this! Let's join, girls!"

"Wait, but didn't you just…" Yuto stuttered, but his girlfriend, Ruri, didn't let him finish his sentence. She pulled him into a hug.

"That's a great idea! Let's have a tag team duel! I and Yuto-kun will be a team!"

"H-hey, don't we have any say in this?"

It's so funny to see _Yuri_ , of all people, stammering. Serena grinned, then reached out her hand and pulled at his ear.

"Nope. And since everyone else already had their own couple, I guess I have to stick with you for a while. And I still hate you, just to remind you."

" **OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH! AN EIGHT-WAY, NO, A TAG TEAM FOUR-WAY BATTLE ROYALE! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY SUCH A DUEL TAKES PLACE! WHAT WILL THESE DUELISTS GIVE US IN THIS DUEL? LET'S FIND OUT!"**

 _That's right… now that she's back, I won't have to worry about anything anymore…_

Yuya looked at Yuzu, who smiled.

"Duelist locked in battle…"

From the other side, Yuto and Ruri grinned.

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!"

"They storm through the field!" This time it was Yugo and Rin's turn. "Behold! The newest and greatest evolution in Dueling!"

Yuri and Serena, surprisingly, shared the same smile. "Action…"

 **"DUEL!"**

* * *

 **That's all, folks! This is how I imagine the final battle with Zarc would be if he used Chronograph Sorcerer instead of Astrograph Sorcerer during the battle with the Lancers. In my opinion, this ending is a little bit happier for everyone; after all, the boys and the girls deserved to be brought back (well, not Yuri I think, but still), they are basically the main characters of the whole story, and killing off 6/8 main characters like that is just... well, I can't seem to find a way to describe that :p So, thank you for reading, and if you like the story, please leave a review!**


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